"This is the interior of Hammer Industries, it's really huge!"
Ghostfreak's single eye darted across the gaps in his body, taking in the sights of Hammer Industries.
As the top-tier military enterprise second only to Stark Industries, Hammer Industries wasn't just one building. Inside, there were several factories equipped with high-precision machinery.
Hammer Industries had many factories, but most weren't located in New York, but scattered across America.
For a resource-driven industry like a factory, no fool would build it in a place like New York.
The underground factory in Queens wasn't for mass production, but for research, development, and manufacturing prototypes.
Ben was clearly very satisfied with the address of his future company.
And he was also very satisfied with those Iron Robots.
"The machines are ready-made. They're a bit outdated, but with some modifications, they'll be perfectly usable. It would be a waste to destroy them as expendables."
If nothing else, the raw material cost alone for these tin cans was already very high. Ben wasn't so rich that he could just blow them up for the sake of noise.
But if he didn't blow them up, there would be problems.
These battle armors were essentially a cheaper alternative to Iron Suits. If they were kept, the military and S.H.I.E.L.D., having witnessed their power, would definitely not let them go.
Ben didn't have the financial resources to contend with them, not even with Tony's help.
You, Tony Stark, are unwilling to share your technology with us, but you're also going to interfere when we want Hammer Industries' technology? That doesn't make sense!
So, how to make S.H.I.E.L.D. and the government voluntarily give up on Hammer Industries was the matter Ben needed to consider.
This wasn't difficult for him.
Justin Hammer was a joke, not just because of his own stupidity, but also because of his invention – the Ex-Wife – which played a significant role.
When Rhodey confidently told the villain, "I'm going to blow you up with my Ex-Wife," only to find that the missile fired was a dud, everyone knew Justin Hammer was an absolute clown.
Even though it was later discovered that the Ex-Wife wasn't that bad, and only needed immense force to activate, it couldn't salvage Hammer Industries' image.
What Ben needed to do was similar.
He just needed to make these Iron Robots appear as ridiculous failures.
This was incredibly simple for Ben. He didn't even transform into Grey Matter; he simply plugged a USB drive into Hammer Industries' computer.
Instantly, a new program was implanted into Hammer Industries' computers.
Of course, he didn't intend to completely ruin Justin Hammer and Ivan's plans. After all, for a large corporation like Hammer Industries, it was hard to bring them down completely without a major incident.
There had to be a balance between the two.
It all depended on how he managed it.
Time passed day by day.
Before the exhibition began, Ben and Norman Osborn jointly divided Stromm's wealth.
It had to be said, that guy had profited quite a bit while being a shareholder in Osborn.
And he had used his wealth to establish a foundation. Theoretically, even if his identity as the Green Goblin was confirmed, Norman wouldn't be able to get his hands on this money.
However, Norman had been in the business world for so many years, he wasn't just a figurehead.
There were always loopholes in these complex matters.
Things that were theoretically impossible could sometimes be done; things that were theoretically possible might not be. In short, it was about flexibility.
This was especially true in a country where everyone recognized the value of money.
With Norman Osborn's heavy financial promises, none of this was an issue.
At this moment, Ben and Norman were sitting in the study of Osborn Manor, drinking tea and dividing the spoils.
"So, you're planning to take over Hammer Industries?" Norman asked, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Just now, Ben had revealed that he had discovered Ivan, who had attacked Iron Man, had faked his death, was rescued by Justin Hammer, and had made a series of arrangements. It was only then that Norman understood Ben's intentions.
He then began to consider the feasibility of this matter.
It was, to say the least, difficult.
"Complete annexation is almost impossible," Norman said.
"Hammer Industries' scale was once comparable to the original Osborn Corporation. After Stark Industries announced it would stop manufacturing weapons, they quickly seized the weapons market, becoming the military's largest partner and gaining significant momentum.
"Although Justin Hammer is an undeniable fool, the other shareholders in the company aren't likely to be that stupid. Even if some unforeseen events cause Hammer Industries to collapse, their factories and production lines would still be coveted by other industrial companies."
Norman's reasoning was sound.
However, from another perspective, Ben's early detection of this matter could indeed give him some advantage. But compared to those established large corporations, Primus's current strength was still very weak.
"In that case, I won't take the money from the Storm Foundation for now," Norman decided after a moment of thought.
Norman absolutely supported the acquisition of Hammer Industries. As the most prominent military industrial complex in America today, Hammer Industries possessed very advanced technology and production lines. While those facilities weren't of much use to a biotechnology company like Osborn, it was different for Primus.
With the substantial cash from the Storm Foundation, Primus could gain more say at the negotiating table.
"However, you need to be prepared. Even with this money, you'll only have earned your ticket to get on board," Norman said.
To this, Ben merely smiled slightly, "Tony Stark has already agreed to provide me with financial support."
"Really?"
Norman raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn't expected Ben to secretly connect with Tony.
Things were different now.
He thought for a moment, then seemed to make up his mind. "Since that's the case, let's go all out!"
Norman stated that with Stark, that outsider, involved, he, as an uncle, naturally couldn't just stand by.
He was in!
"I'll temporarily halt all of Osborn's other research projects and pull all the funds."
Hearing this, Ben froze.
He had indeed wanted some support from Norman, but he hadn't expected Norman to go all-in so readily.
After all, acquiring Hammer Industries offered no real benefit to Osborn. Coupled with the fact that he was also investing money from the Storm Foundation, Ben was starting to wonder if Norman would even be able to pay salaries.
But Norman assured him not to worry.
After all, it was an old company with many years behind it, and some of its pillar industries were still strong.
With Norman Osborn's support, Ben felt even more confident about taking over Hammer Industries.
In the following days, Norman held another press conference, completely restoring Connors' reputation. He announced that Connors had been found and was undergoing treatment with Primus Technology.
Although Connors was still "receiving treatment" and couldn't see his wife and children, at least the public criticism they had endured because of him could finally change.
And then, the time finally came for the exhibition to begin.
Peter, with his backpack slung over his shoulder, stood on tiptoe, looking at the long queue, filled with regret.
"I should have gone in with Benny and the others."
He sighed.
As Primus was a participant in the exhibition, and Ben happened to know Tony, there were plenty of internal tickets. Just like now, Uncle Ben, Aunt May, and even Mary Jane were already seated in the front rows of the Primus pavilion, waiting for the exhibition to officially start.
However, for some reason, Peter had missed the chance to enter with them.
But his lateness wasn't due to his superhero career as Spider-Man. It was because Jameson, the boss of the Daily Bugle, had found him and given him a new assignment: to take photos at the exhibition and interview as many prominent figures as possible.
"If you can expose the true identity of Primus's mysterious boss, my newspaper will sell like hotcakes!"
Peter's mind was still replaying the image of Jameson shouting at him, a cigar in his mouth.
For those in high places, finding out Ben's identity wasn't difficult. But for ordinary people, the boss of Primus remained a mystery.
Peter shook his head and hung the camera around his neck. "Too bad Benny won't grant me an interview."
"Who won't grant me an interview?"
Just then, a blonde girl popped her head out, winking at Peter.
The sudden scare made Peter almost jump. Only when he clearly saw the girl's face did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"You, you're Gwen Stacy?"
Peter obviously recognized her, but he was even more surprised.
"You, why are you here?" he stammered.
Gwen seemed to be in a good mood. She glanced around and said, "Visiting the exhibition. Are you alone?"
Peter instinctively shook his head, but what came out of his mouth was, "Yes, yes, just me."
"Then, together?"
Peter nodded blankly.
Although he liked Liz, Liz didn't seem interested in him anyway.
Teaming up with Gwen now seemed pretty good?
Peter Parker, what a scumbag!
Meanwhile.
Backstage at the venue, all the entrepreneurs and scientists participating in the exhibition were gathered.
The real highlight of the exhibition was still in the evening; the daytime was for visitors to explore freely.
Ben sat with Norman and Harry. Many people came over to greet Norman.
Ben turned his head and saw Felicia waving to Mrs. Hardy from behind her. Standing beside them was a slightly overweight man in a white lab coat.
Sensing Ben's gaze, the man walked over and extended his hand to him.
"A pleasure, Otto Gunther Octavius."
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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